The Storm
by EsmeAmelia
Summary: The Solo children get scared during a thunderstorm and seek out Han and Leia for comfort. Sappy story.


AN: Everybody knows I don't own Star Wars. Well, I haven't written good old Han/Leia fluff in a while, so I thought I'd go back to it.

"The Storm"

By EsmeAmelia

Lightening was flickering and thunder was roaring as the rain pounded down on the Coruscant roofs. The wind whistled as it made the raindrops dance in violent waves, drenching all those unfortunate enough to be outside. The always-glowing lights on the buildings and speeders blurred and glared through the torrent of rain.

But in the Solo family's apartment, no one was awake to see or hear the ruckus outside.

That is, no one except one little boy.

Six-year-old Jacen tiptoed into his parents' bedroom, clutching his toy eopie, jumping every time he heard the thunder clap. He kept himself focused on his parents' bed, his safe haven from the scary light and noise. When he reached the bed, he began poking his mother's side.

"Mommy?" he whispered.

Leia responded only with a sleepy groan.

"Mommy?" Jacen repeated, poking her again. "Mommy, I'm scared."

Leia finally raised her head a few inches off the pillow. "Jacen? What's going on?"

"I'm scared," the boy repeated. "Can I sleep with you?"

Leia was about to ask why he was scared when another flash of lightening made the child jump, followed by a thunder boom that made him grab his mother's arm.

"The storm's too loud," he whimpered. "Can I _please _sleep with you?"

Leia sighed, rubbing her knuckles over her eyes. "Sure, come on in. Just try not to wake your father."

With that, Jacen leaped onto the bed and crawled over his mother, settling himself down between his parents. Han gave a rather loud snore as Jacen bumped into him, but he slept on.

"Mommy?" Jacen said as he dug his head into Leia's pillow.

"What?"

"Daddy snores a lot."

Leia couldn't help but laugh slightly. "Yes he does." She reached over and patted her son's back. "Why don't you pretend the thunder is just Daddy's snores? That might help you not to be so scared."

Jacen smiled at his mother. "That's a good idea." He yawned. "Good night Mommy."

"Good night sweetheart."

. . . .

A little while later, after Leia and Jacen had fallen back asleep, another child came tiptoeing into Leia and Han's bedroom, but instead of waking her mother, she went to the other side of the bed and began poking her father.

"Daddy?" she whispered. "Daddy, wake up."

"Mmmm," was all the response she got.

"Daddy?" Jaina called a little louder and a little more desperately.

"Uuuuggghhh . . . "

Now Jaina resorted to grabbing her father's shoulder and shaking it with as much force as a six-year-old could manage. "Daddy, wake UP!"

Finally Han's eyes opened. "Huh . . . Jaina . . . what's wrong?"

Just then the thunder clapped so loudly that Han felt the room vibrate, and he understood why his daughter was here. "Scared of the storm, honey?"

Jaina looked down as if ashamed of herself, but after a moment she gave a small nod.

Han reached down and brushed his daughter's cheek with his finger. "There's nothin' wrong with that, sweetheart."

"But I'm a big girl."

Han gently pushed his daughter's head up to his face so he could kiss her forehead. "You wanna know a secret?"

Jaina nodded.

"Your old man was scared of thunderstorms when he was your age."

"Really?" said Jaina, her eyes brightening.

"Really." He patted her shoulder. "They're _still _a little scary, actually. Now c'mon, why don't you sleep with us tonight?"

"Okay." Jaina climbed up into the bed and pushed herself over her father's body so she could settle down in the middle.

"That's my girl," said Han, closing his eyes.

"Good night Daddy," Jaina said with a happy sigh.

"Good night."

. . . .

It was only minutes after Han and Jaina had fallen back asleep when a third child tiptoed into the bedroom. He panted as he walked, wanting to just jump into bed with his parents but knowing he should ask permission first. With the next clap of thunder, he broke into a run up to his mother's side of the bed.

"Mommy . . . _Mommy!"_ Anakin cried, shaking his mother's shoulder.

"Wha?" said Leia. "Ani, are you okay?"

"Da storm's scary," Anakin whimpered, looking on the verge of crying.

After a tired sigh, Leia reached over and stroked her youngest son's head. "All right, you can sleep with us too. Just don't wake your father or your brother."

With that, Anakin jumped onto the bed and climbed over his mother. Just like Jacen, he was settling down in the center of the bed. Why was that? Leia wondered as she closed her eyes. Perhaps the children felt safer when there were parents on both sides to protect them from the storm.

"G'night Mommy," Anakin said in his cute little voice.

"Good night."

. . . .

Once again, the whole family was asleep as the storm continued its rage outside. Had there been any outside observers, they would have thought for a while that the family could sleep peacefully until morning, but unfortunately, Anakin had a tendency to roll around in his sleep. He rolled one way, pushing at Jaina, who, unconsciously feeling the push, began rolling over herself, which in turn, pushed Han to roll over almost to the edge of the bed. Then Anakin rolled over in the other direction, pushing Jacen to roll, who in turn pushed Leia to roll almost to the edge.

A few seconds later Anakin rolled from side to side, setting the chain reaction off again, causing both Han and Leia to roll off the bed and land in heaps on the floor.

"Wha?" they both exclaimed at the same time.

Leia rubbed her eyes, trying to orient herself. "Han? Was that you?"

"Was what me?" Han called.

"Did you push me off the bed?"

"What?" Han exclaimed. "Honey, first of all, I dunno why you'd think I'd do that, and second, I got pushed off the bed too."

"Then what happened?" asked Leia, trying to untwist the sheet from her legs.

"I dunno," said Han. "Maybe Jaina rolled over or somethin'."

"Jaina?" exclaimed Leia. "What was she doing . . ." She was interrupted by a giant thunder clap that shook the furniture.

"She was scared of the storm," said Han.

"So were the boys," said Leia.

They both seemed to figure out what had happened at the same time, for they both started crawling around the bed and met up at the front.

"I didn't know Jaina was in the bed," said Leia.

"Well I didn't know the boys were in the bed," said Han.

They stood up and looked down at the bed, where their three children were peacefully asleep, Jaina taking up one pillow, Jacen the other, and Anakin in the middle, all oblivious to the rain drumming on their roof, looking almost like they were smiling. For a few moments their parents simply looked at them, relishing in the innocence that came out when they slept.

"Oh . . . aren't they sweet?" Leia said, putting her hand on her husband's shoulder.

"Yeah," said Han, "but now where're _we_ sp'osed to sleep?"

Leia shrugged. "Well, I guess the couches will be okay."

"And what about them?" said Han, pointing at the children. "If the storm wakes them up again, they'll be terrified if we're not there."

Leia's mouth twisted as she continued to look down at the kids, but then her face brightened. "I've got an idea."

. . . . .

Fifteen minutes later, layers of spare blankets were spread out on the bedroom floor, made into a large makeshift mattress. The pillows had been moved down to the floor, and so had the children, who didn't wake up when Leia and Han gently carried them out of bed and laid them down on the floor. Finally Leia and Han could tuck themselves in, once again on either side of their children, barriers from the storm, but this time they wouldn't get pushed out of bed. The torrent of rain and wind outside soon lulled them into sweet drowsiness.

"You know something?" Leia said with a sigh.

"Mmm?" said Han.

"I really like storms."

Han grinned, sinking his head down in the pillow and wrapping his arm around Jaina. "Me too."

THE END


End file.
